The Calgary Flames have entered the All-Star Break five points shy of a wild-card spot in the Western Conference, prompting most to believe they will be sellers at or ahead of the March 8 trade deadline. Plenty in the fanbase have been adamant that it is time for a rebuild given how mediocre the team has been for a long stretch of time. Management, however, seems to think differently.
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It seemed as though management was gearing towards more of a retooling rather than a full-fledged rebuild, though at least one insider in Jeff Marek doesn’t seem to think they’ll go that route. Speaking on The Jeff Marek Show Tuesday morning (Jan. 30), he suggested that he views the Flames as a potential landing spot for disgruntled San Jose Sharks forward Tomas Hertl.
“You know what I say being a fit here,” Marek asked co-host Elliotte Friedman. “And, it wouldn’t be [Jacob] Markstrom going the other way, it would be Dan Vladar. I mean we all know what the score is with [Elias] Lindholm here, we all know that this is a team that’s going to take a large step backwards. This is a team that still wants to remain competitive as they bring in some of their younger prospects. They’re going to lose Lindholm and his cap hit as well, maybe other players depending on what happens come trade deadline time.”
Hertl Has Plenty of Talent
Before we get into whether or not this is something the Flames should pursue, it is important to give a bit of background on Hertl. The 30-year-old centreman, who was selected 17th overall by the Sharks in 2012, has been one of the organization’s top talents for the last several seasons. His best statistical season came back in 2018-19, where he had 35 goals and 74 points in 77 games.
Despite the signs being obvious that a rebuild was coming in San Jose, the team and Hertl agreed to an eight-year, $65.1 million deal which carries a cap hit of roughly $8.14 million. It seems that the thought of Sharks management was to keep a few talented veterans in the fold to serve as mentors for the youth, though based on some recent comments from Hertl, he may be getting fed up with the team’s struggles.
Through 48 games this season, Hertl has 15 goals and 34 points. The stats would suggest he is having a down year, but that is more so due to his team than anything else. In fact, both of those totals lead the Sharks, proving just how poorly they have performed. Teams around the league will recognize that and could have plenty of interest in Hertl during the offseason. That said, the Flames should absolutely not be one.
Hertl Acquisition Would Keep Flames Average
As mentioned at the beginning of the article, the Flames have been a painfully average team for close to three decades. They are a team that has often lacked elite, superstar talent, but one that is unwilling to enter into a rebuild to develop talent through the draft. Instead, they get players that are just good enough to keep them in the playoff bubble each and every year.
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Acquiring Hertl would be more of the same. While getting an asset such as himself in a Lindholm trade would be fair value for plenty of teams, it isn’t for the Flames given where they are as an organization. While Hertl is certainly a talented player, he isn’t among the league’s best, and would give the Flames another good yet not great player, which would continue to keep them on that playoff bubble for several seasons to come.
What the Flames would instead be better off doing is dealing Lindholm for younger players and/or prospects which would help make them a competitive team in the future. They already have some great young pieces, which Marek made mention of, and adding even more to that group could see them become one of the Western Conference’s better teams in the not-so-distant future.
